Pepperony
by koolgirl1120
Summary: The Avengers are fighting a long and hard battle with another alien attack in Phoenix, when Tony calls Pepper to drop off his new invention that could win them the fight, but when Pepper gets seriously hurt despite the precautions, Tony has a lot of thinking to do about what she means to him, and what he means to her. Oneshot, Tony/Pepper


**A.N. Hey guys! Benn a while hasn't it? I wrote this a while ago and figured you readers deserved something from me. Rated T for swear words and a bit of violence in the beginning. Take note that this was written by hand and therefore it is not as good as if this were typed. Set after the Avengers Movie.**

**I do not own anything**

Pepperony – Tony/Pepper

"Pep? Come on, wake up… please? For me? You know it's a big thing when I say please." He tried to joke. He tried to smile, he really did, but he felt like his insides were churning themselves into butter. He'd taken his helmet off to get a better view of the beaten, battered, and unconscious Pepper. Each of his hands were on either side of her head and he was trying so hard not to cry.

The chaos surrounding them was far from over; Captain America and Thor were battling the hundreds of creatures that were swarming the boiling hot city of Phoenix that the Avengers had been called to defend. Hawkeye was killing the enemies one by one with his deadly arrows from the rooftops while Black Widow was locked in a showdown with her signature fire arms somewhere down the road. The Hulk… smashed… well, everything.

Everyone but Ironman was fighting for their lives and the lives of others while respectfully blocking any access to Tony and Pepper.

"I finally figured out our couple name." Tony blurted, staring deeply into his girlfriend's face and silently begging her to open her eyes and look at him, and tell him that everything was going to be okay. He _needs _Pepper. He needs her to comfort him on the rare occasion that he feels solemn and/or guilty, he needs her to keep him sane when the other Avengers are driving him crazy, he needs her to organize his entire life and practically run his company for him, he needs her to keep him from doing anything _totally_ stupid, he needs her to give him witty banter when no one else will, but it had never occurred to him that his wonderful, responsible, organized, caring, intelligent, and beautiful girlfriend might need him too.

He had called her through JARVIS while in the midst of the fight. He'd told her to come and give him his other pair of gloves that he had been working on that could win them the battle. The plan had been that she'd drop them from a helicopter and then fly away again; and that was exactly what had happened. Nick Fury and Agent Maria Hill were ever personally escorting her in the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter, and she'd dropped the gloves directly on target. But that' when everything went to hell.

One of the creatures managed to pry away Natasha's guns long enough to shoot the blades of the helicopter and send it crashing down onto the rooftop from which Clint leaped off and turned and shot his grappling arrow back at the building, swinging himself onto it again.

"No!" Tony had shouted, face obscured by his mask. He slapped the new gloves on and tried to fly up to help Pepper (and Clint and Fury and Hill), but while he was so focused on the now spreading fire caused by the crash, several of the creatures had latched onto his legs, keeping him from leaving.

Panic seized his heart with each agonizing second that passed without knowing that Pepper was okay. With an urgency that could not be matched, Tony used his boot blasters to blast all of the supposed aliens off of him while at the same time giving him sonic speed towards the rooftop that had caught on fire by then.

"Pepper!" He shouted through the fray, tossing creature after creature out of his way. "JARVIS! Scan the rooftop for Pepper's heat signature." He continued tossing the aliens off the roof and to their impending doom. And let's face it, they totally deserved it – at least in Tony's mind anyway. "And Hawkeye's too." He added as an afterthought/"

"Yes sir." JARVIS answered. Two more creatures were thrown off and the smoke was clouding his vision.

"Oh! Fury and Hill's too." Because there was such a thing that wasn't Pepper or the Avengers.

"Very well sir, but the fire is slowing down the results." JARVIS warned. Tony cursed.

"Speed up the process, I don't care how." Getting desperate, Tony tried to blow away all the smoke with a fan function that popped out of his shoulders. With his vision a little clearer, Tony spotted a feminine heat signature through his mask, buried beneath a pile of dead monsters. He reached in and pulled out her arm, revealing Agent Maria Hill. He sighed and mumbled something about 'not Pepper' and left the Agent to her own devices.

"Wow Stark, I feel so loved." Maria spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Tony managed to give a snarky and arrogant reply while pulling Fury out of the pile. Each creature had an arrow through their faces.

"As you should when in the presence of the great Ironman slash Tony Stark." He retorted. Maria snorted.

"Shut up and get to work you two. Fury oh so helpfully ordered.

"You should be grateful that saved your sorry ass, Fury." Even as he'd said this, he had obeyed the command and continued searching. Where was Pepper?

"Sir, Pepper's signature seems to be ten feet to your right." The AI had interrupted. Tony had bolted for the spot, tearing through the incredibly deep pile until he was able to see his girlfriend's signature strawberry blonde hair. He dug her unconscious body free of the creatures' holds and cradled her in his arms. He contemplated taking off his suit just to be able to _feel_ her body against his, but he had settled for removing his helmet despite the smoke still surrounding them. His fans should keep them far enough away that he could breathe properly.

"Pep? Come one, wake up… please? For me? You know it's a big thing when I say please/" She didn't move. She was breathing, but she wasn't moving. "I finally figured out our couple name." he offered as a conversation starter, knowing that when she heard it, she'd laugh. "Pepperony." No response. He longed to hear her chuckled and tell him It was adorable; and then he'd argue that it was mind-blowingly epic and their banter would continue. She'd bring up twelve percent of something and then he'd say, "You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

A sudden tidal wave of guilt washed over him and he coughed through the smoke. He had to get her out of there. He put his helmet back on and picked Pepper up bridal-style. In a flash, he zoomed over the city to a hospital.

_She needed you, and you failed her,_ Tony thought, his stomach getting heavier the farther he flew. He needed her for everything, but love is a two-way street, and Pepper needed him to keep her safe, to relieve her of stress when she overworked herself, she needed him to keep her happy and out of danger and return he love… and he failed her… for the most part. Of course he loved her with all his heart, but did he ever tell her that? No. He neglected her, choosing instead to focus all his attention on Ironman suit and the Avengers; even if he _was_ only mocking them.

"Stark! Where'd you go?" came Steve's voice through the comms unit. Tony grit his teeth. Almost there.

"I'm taking Pepper to get Medical Attention, made do without me." He answered truthfully.

"Where's Hawkeye?" Natasha demanded, gunfire raining in the background. Tony felt his gut sink a little lower. Whoops.

"Oh, Fury and Hill are on it." He answered, praying he was right. He could practically _feel_ the anger fuming out of the female assassin through the comms. Clint would be alright – he had to be. Tony couldn't take anymore guilt.

"You better be right Stark." Tony landed in front of the hospital rushed his love inside.

Three days later, Pepper still had yet to open her eyes. Tony sat by her bedside holding her hand. Visiting hours ended long ago, but he sneaked back in with ease. he ran his thumb along the back of her hand in an effort to calm himself.

Why would the world take something so wonderful away from him? He deserved her! He was Iron Man for goodness sake! He saved the world several times already! He'd even built a device that sent out a sonic signal too high for any human (and Asgardian) to hear that killed any of those specific alien creatures upon listening.

Why was Pepper being taken away from him? Sure, he hadn't been the best boss, (or co-worker, or boyfriend, or friend) but his heart was in the right place. It had taken him about twelve years (give or take) to figure out his feelings for Pepper but the main thing was that he did. He loved her and just the thought of leaving her (or the unthinkable, the other way around) was the most horrible thing that could ever happen to him. Except her dying an agonizing death and it being his fault. So, like now.

He squeezed Pepper's hand. What would make her come back to him? His mind immediately flooded with theories and calculations and scientific explanations and- wait. What if Pepper didn't _want_ to come back to him? He felt like he'd been slapped; with a sledge hammer, by Thor, who was thrown at him, by the Hulk. Damn, epiphany's hurt like a bitch._  
_

But they were useful. He just hoped he wasn't right (for once). What if Pepper didn't want to come back to him? What if she finally got sick of him and looking for a way to let him down easy, and then death had offered her the perfect chance? What if... this life... being the girlfriend of Tony Stark/Iron Man wasn't the idea position he thought every girl would dream of being in? What if her life was put in danger _because_ she was the girlfriend of Tony Stark/Iron Man? What if this was planned? Well of course the attack was planned, but Pepper had never been a part of that plan - until he put her there. He knew who much danger was around, yet he thought that because she was in a helicopter with a couple of other SHIELD agents that he had had nothing to worry about. He'd been so naive, so reckless, so impulsive, so, so, so... well, he wouldn't go so far as to say he was _stupid_, but he did _do_ something stupid.

He sighed. This was all his fault. He never should have called Pepper. It was a horrible, awful, _terrible_ idea that he regretted deeply, but he could never take back what he did. He could only hope that she didn't suffer too much and that she came back to him in one piece. And he would welcome her back with open arms, but, he decided, if she wanted to leave him because the danger was too much, he'd understand.

Don't get him wrong, he'd beg and plead, bribe and bargain, compromise and even ask politely, but he would never force her. If she was really _that_ determined to leave him... he'd fight tooth and nail to convince her to stay, but if she surpassed all that... he wouldn't lock the door and she could leave freely.

He sighed. Pepper was co-CEO of Stark Industries, there was no way she'd leave all that behind just because of a break-up with Tony. That would mean that he'd get to see her often (PLUS!) but each encounter would be extremely awkward and tension-filled (negative). How would that work? He would be running around the lab adjusting his Iron Man suit or saving the world alongside the rest of the Avengers.

Wait! Avengers... shit! Clint! Tony whipped out his phone and dialed Natasha's number with one hand because he couldn't bother to leave Pepper's side. She answered on the first ring.

"What?"

"Nice to hear from you too." he said with major sarcasm. "How's Hawkeye?"

"You never seemed to care."

"Well forgive me for being a little preoccupied with the love of my life! I don't see any record of you coming down her to visit Pepper."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Tony took that as a win. "Touché." He smirked.

"So how is he?"

"He'll live."

"Details?"

"Classified."

"Screw you."

"You wish." She hung up before he could retort. He huffed and stuffed his pone back in his pocket. He looked over at Pepper's sleeping form with a loving gaze. He reached over and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"I love you." he whispered. Right there, in that moment, Tony vowed never to tell about what had just happened. He was Tony Stark! And Tony Stark had to do things BIG. Whispering "I love you" to someone sleeping just didn't have enough "pizazz" or "pinache" for his liking.

He could throw a big party! There could be all of Stark Industries and- wait, that would be like work. No, no work. But without all those people... who else could he invite? The Avengers, Pepper's family, friends... okay, so not enough people for big fancy ball. Now that he's thinking about it, Pepper doesn't like big crowds of attention anyway.

Scratch out that whole idea. Okay, back to the drawing board. What id he took her to one of his beach houses? Or maybe Venice... yes, that was romantic. Okay, Venice. Should he take her in a gondola? Wait... streets full of water... no, just no.

He had been avoiding water ever since Afghanistan and it would not help their date if he had a panic attack. Okay, so what about... a castle? Yeah! He could take her to one of those countries that had castles called... um, whatever, it didn't matter, so long as they had castles. He would lead her into the tower and show her the magnificent view, and then he would get down one knee and-

No. That would look too much like he was proposing and he wasn't ready for that. They had only been dating for a few months and he was only just getting the hand of winning a dispute; and they'd already known each other for over a decade already.

So instead of kneeling, he'd take both of her hands in his and then stare into her eyes and say...

"I love you." What was that out loud? He'd said it to her sleeping form _twice. _What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he think straight? How come his thoughts had jumped from one subject to another in an extremely long ramble? Had this ever happened before? He racked his brain for another time his train of thought had ever been so jumbled.

Well, there was that one time he'd seen Pepper at a party. He'd almost choked on his drink. Her hair had been down and flowing and she'd been wearing a low-back silk blue dress that brought out her eyes. His breath had left him for some other fool in the room (but not Pepper, _never_ would Pepper ever be a fool) to inhale as he gazed at the woman who was driving his insides absolutely mad. At that moment, the only thing on his mind was a foal to touch her, and what better way than to dance with her.

With his hand resting on the small of her bare back and her delicate hand in his, they danced.

Tony's reminiscing was interrupted by a knock on the door. Someone knew he had sneaked back in... crap. Still, his grip on Pepper's hand only tightened. "Who is it?" he called.

"Dr. Tanenbee."

"Come in." The doorknob turned and then opened to reveal the elderly doctor who didn't seem at all surprised that Tony was in her room after hours. What was he going to do anyway? Kick him out? Like hell that would work. The doctor wore a white lab coat and giant round glasses as well as a stethoscope around his neck. Tony had made sure the doctor was old, married, and by no means good-looking before allowing him to give Pepper a full body scan and check. You could never be too careful, right?

Dr. Tanenbee entered the room carrying a clipboard and gave Tony a small smile. He didn't return it.

"Well Mr. Stark, Ms. Pott's body is healing marvelously."

"That's great!"

"My only concern is when she'll wake up; which may be never." Tony blanched. After checking all of Pepper's machines, the doctor left him to his thoughts.

Could Pepper really be gone... forever? Had she already been dragged into the irresistible lull of a peaceful coma, right under his nose? While he was sitting _right there_? His hold tightened. She couldn't be gone... no! Tony Stark is a stubborn pain in the ass and he doesn't give up, and he's not about to five up on the most important thing in his whole world.

He knows Pepper. He knows that she would to the death fro him, because he knows that she loves him and she always will.

"I love you." he whispered for the third time. Three is a magical number. "Third time's the charm." he breathed hopefully. He closed his eyes and lay in the bed next to his love.

What he didn't see, was Pepper's nose twitch.


End file.
